8 Easy Steps for Hosting a Homeschool Project Fair

{This post initially was initially shared in 2014 at the now defunct Upsidedown Homeschooling Blog, which can only be found using the Wayback Machine. I am resharing it here since someone asked for tips on how to host a fair and I wanted to offer them these. I pray it benefits you as well should you wish to host a project fair.}

Much to my amusement, the other day, my children woke and began transforming our hallway into a project fair.

I smiled as I prepared breakfast, listening to my oldest son read information to his sister about hyacinth macaws, Japan, knights, tarsiers, Bunker Hill, Germany and more and, then, hearing my daughter, in turn, share recalled facts with my youngest child, whose little feet were pattering off to his bedroom to get a stuffed animal in order to complete a rabbits project set up.

It had been nearly a year since we’d participated in our first project fair, an Endangered Species one, seven months since a History one, six since a Geography one and five since a Nature Explorers one.  Yet, there all three of my children were gleefully hosting an eclectic “just us” fair in our hallway.  

Reading, public speaking and more unfolded at the children’s morning micro-fair, just as it had at the original fairs that we had prepared for and presented at throughout last academic year.

As each of my children enthusiastically shared their prior projects with one another, it struck me:  a seemingly “one time” event can – and often does – hold residual effects.  

Planning, preparing for and presenting at project fairs is well worth the effort, and, in our experience, a whole lot of fun, too!  I encourage you to participate in such a fair, and, if none exist in your area, to host one.

It is not difficult to host a project fair.  In fact, I have found that it’s fairly simple and well worth the effort!

In my tried-and-true experience, hosting a project fair can as easy as eight simple steps!

1.Choose a fair topic.  

Animals, History, Geography, Art, Nature, Science, Saints, Holidays around the World…  Ideas are endless.  Keeping the topic broad offers participants freedom while also providing a bit of direction.

2. Contact a host location to nail down a day and time. 

My family has participated at project fairs at a local library’s community meeting room and hosted one at a parish center.  At all of these locations, we have found a three-hour block works well.

3. Get word out.  

Use a local homeschool networking page to get word out.  Share the time, date and RSVP deadline for the fair.  Then, consider creating a special contact list for participants to share ideas, questions and concerns.  All communications or the fairs our family has participated in has been by word of mouth and private Facebook groups.  Other such social networking paths could work just as well!

4. Offer suggestions and ideas.  

Once you have a participants list, periodically remind folks of the date and time of the fair, offer tips for research and presentation and outline the agenda for the fair day. 

For the fairs we participated in, all this was done through brief posts on a private Facebook group.  For the one I put together and hosted, I created an information packet with research tips, presentation ideas, an agenda, FAQ’s, and more.

5. Ask for set up and break down volunteers.  

Many hands make light work; too many can result in chaos.  Thus, I have found that asking only a few families to help set up and break down tables and chairs works best.

6. Print participation certificates. 

Creating and printing personalized participation certificates to hand out at the fair adds a special touch and allows parents who need it “evidence” to put in children’s portfolios.

7. Prepare your family’s projects.

Leave plenty of time for your own children to research and prepare their projects.  Nothing is worse than putting your efforts into hosting a fair only to forget to work on your own family’s projects until the last-minute.  A little bit done over a number of weeks adds up to less stress and more fun!

8. Set an agenda and enjoy!  

For the fair I hosted,  which happened in a three-hour block, I found the following agenda worked well (and included 15 minutes of unscheduled “wiggle” room.)

Set Up

• 30 min. -Event organizer and several volunteer families arrive and begin to set up tables and chairs.

• 20 min. - Participants arrive and set up.

Fair Opens

• 20 min. - Geography Fair Opens; parents or other non-participating family members or friends “man” students’ displays so children can circulate

• 20 min. - Participating students return to their displays while parents and guests circulate

• 30 min. - Oral Presentations begin; those who wish to may continue to quietly circulate among the display areas. 

• 30 min. - Participation certificates distributed.

Fair Closes and Break Down Begins

• 30 min.- Break down displays and clean up.

I hope these tips help you to plan and enjoy learning and sharing together with a fair!

Visit Our Mysteries of History Fair Project!

This week brought so much fun and learning that there was little time for blogging!  Among other things, we were out and about at field trips, meet ups, classes and a Mysteries of History fair!

When the children first heard about the fair a couple months ago, they picked their topics right away.

Nina decided on "Who was Dr. Joseph Warren's informant?"

Luke chose, "Who shot the "shot hear 'round the world'?"

And Jack chose to help his siblings.

Thus it was that our living room exploded with piles of library books and audios, and we found ourselves traveling to Lexington and Concord one lovely fall day.

  
Through the weeks, the children immersed themselves in all things Revolutionary, including D.I.Y costumes!  (Luke's and Nina's D.I.Y costumes, that is.  Jack went for the easy knight costume.)

Then, about a week ago, they began to put their display together, asking for my help with parts of it, but designing most of it on their own.

Luke's panel included a super-sized flap book with some of the theories about who might have shot the shot heard around the world.

Nina's side included a pull-out book of some of the historical figures connected to Dr. Joseph Warren.  She proudly explained who each of these figures was to those who asked her.

All three children designed their own games -- a project fair tradition that began with our first homeschool fair, an Endangered Species one.

When we played Luke's at home, we realized it was a bit more complicated than it seemed and may need a Version 2.

 

But that did not stop Jack and I from enjoying it at the fair.  Some others played it, too.

Jack's game was more straightforward.  

We enjoyed it before, during and after the fair.

We had a lot of fun with Nina's too!

Besides the tri-fold board and games, the kids' display included a few of the books we'd used as resources and models made by Luke and Jack to help explain what happened at North Bridge at the start of the Revolution.

Nina made a small booklet about spies and laid out some photos of our Concord and Lexington family field trip. 

Luke had wanted to make flapjacks, but I was out of corn flour.  Nina then recalled that the Colonial people enjoyed popcorn, so she and Jack popped some up to share.  That popcorn was such a hit that only a few kernels remained minutes into the fair.

Two things that did not disappear the entire night were proud smiles and loads of sharing.

By the time the children dashed up for their participation certificates, they had learned a bit about the Bermuda Triangle, the Bridgewater Triangle, the Lost City of Atlantis, Area 51, Roswell, Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, Mysteries of the Mona Lisa, Stonehenge, Lizzie Borden, the Mary Celeste and more.

Meanwhile, I was again impressed by how children from preschool age to high school age created and shared such a wide variety of unique projects and, then, interacted with one another with enthusiasm and respect.  Homeschool fairs bring so much fruit!

Want to host your own fair?   

Feel free to use the 8 Easy Steps I shared at Upside Down Homeschooling in late October and have reshared here on this blog.

We have a Cultures Past and Present Fair and an Art Fair coming up later this year.  We've done an Endangered Species one, a History one, a Nature Explorers one and a Geography one.  What fairs have your enjoyed?

Free Printable "Pocket" Book to Take An Endangered Species Fair

A Simple "Pocket" Book to Take to the Fair!

Tomorrow, my children will be participating in their first Endangered Species Fair.

What fun we had researching to decide which animal each would focus on, and, then, what the they wanted to share about their selected endangered species!  They worked so hard on their display boards and are continuing on today to create additional projects to share in front of the boards.

The kids set up their board in our hallways in to play "Endangered Species Fair."

Meanwhile, I have created a little project of my own to share -- and I do mean "little".

Room to Spotlight Five Species and to Capture Favorite Facts

What I did was whip up a simple, one page booklet to print for each of my children to use at the fair. 

The idea is that my children will write their names on the fronts of their little booklets and, then, slip them in their pockets to bring to the fair in order to capture use capture ideas that excite them as they view their friends' displays.

I am sharing the printable for the book here free so that others going to the Endangered Species Fair can easily create their own booklets as well -- and so those of you who would like to find or create your own fair can use them, too!

They are super easy to assemble.  All you need is the printable and a pair of scissors.  Then, follow the directions this kind youtube contributor offers:



We can't wait for the Fair!